The Maryland Appellate Court has reinstated Adnan Syed's murder conviction, the subject of the popular "Serial" podcast, and has ordered a new hearing on whether the case should be vacated. Syed was arrested and convicted for the murder of his former high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in 1999. Syed's original conviction was vacated in 2022 after it was found that prosecutors failed to provide adequate evidence.

However, the appeal court has now ruled that the initial hearing was conducted unfairly and that the victim's brother, Young Lee, was not given proper notice of the hearing on the motion to vacate. A new hearing will be ordered where Lee is given sufficient notice to attend the hearing in person, and the court will present its reasons to support the motion to vacate.

It is unclear whether Syed will have to return to prison, as the decision still allows room for a new hearing that could decide differently. The Maryland City State's Attorney's Office has not commented on the decision. The case has raised several questions about how the case was handled and about the rights of crime victims and their families.